Reading!

Most people love a good book - you settle in with a nice cuppa, relax and just immerse in a great story and get lost in the moment. I know I enjoy this experience and most definitely love reading, but I'm embarrassed to say I'm not a good reader at all. I want to be, but for some reason I just never seem to find the time. I don't prioritise to read like I want to and I don't fit it into my daily life. In the last year I have bought many new books, I have become massively engaged with writing, followed some inspirational authors and now know some fabulous ones too. I buy books as I love the feel of a physical book, get excited to have them in my possession, flick through when they arrive even more thrilled to have them and then they sit on the shelf with all the others. 

Anyone else do exactly the same?

I recognise I want to break this cycle. I thought I had done just that in January as my write that book friend Sheila Starr wrote two books 'Welcome to Hilltop' and 'Love and Lies at Hilltop' and I was hooked. At last I had found my love for reading again; I had the bug where I looked forward to bedtime so I could find out what happened next and became totally engulfed in the story. Since then lots of things have been going on in my life and I just never seem to have the time. We bought a new puppy in January so any reading in bed went out of the window as we had to lay by his crate for the first two weeks and we were zombies for most of February. And I'm not sure what happened in March and April really as they seem a blur, other than writing and preparing for two new books, fighting ongoing health problems and generally feeling exhausted when I go to bed.

Excuses, excuses - I hear you cry!

I agree. It's all about routine and the wise Mr Heppell, author of 17, gives good advice. If you start off with just 17 minutes a day of something then you might surprise yourself and start loving it (that goes for anything such as clearing out cupboards, exercise, writing cards, etc). He also told me that as a writer you need to read, read, read. So my desire to prioritise reading needs to happen.

I hope you enjoyed my blog 'Books through a lifetime' that I posted a few months ago. I was definitely a reader through earlier parts of my life; commuting into London for work seemed to make reading a pleasure for me as I became an adult, and when I was jetting off for a nice break in the sun I always packed a few books to devour. I have heard suggestions of finding a tranquil place to write just to get lost for a while and I think I need to put this in action for reading as well. 

I would love to know what you're reading at the moment? Please do share. And maybe we could even help each other become better readers together. I would like that a lot.